Into the Woods

Well, y’all, here are the final exterior shots, the morning after completion. The crew have removed all their equipment, and the litter piles have been cleaned up. The house is now surrounded by a band of packed red dirt. Next steps: the final grading and starting on the up-close landscaping. With luck I’ll at least have a bit of grass and some daffodils around the house come spring. This construction project was incredibly smooth. I fretted more than necessary about the formalities of inspections, and the mud and the mess, but I don’t think I ever lost a minute’s sleep during the whole project. The contractors and their crew did an outstanding job. If anyone in this area is looking for a contractor, please email me and I’ll put you in touch with them. I’d recommend them very highly.

Because of tricks of the surrounding terrain, the house can pretend to be lost in the woods, though it’s really not. The house faces what I’d call a dell, with a high ridge on the horizon about a quarter of a mile away. To use an old-fashioned technical term, I believe this place is a croft. In these photos, the sun has just cleared the southeastern ridge, and the first morning light is falling on the house (about 8:15 a.m. this time of year). Unfortunately my camera is too automatic to take a night shot. I’d never get the exposure right. But the house, seen at night from up close, with the stars behind it, has a completely different mood. It looms tall and mysterious and ominous, and it looks like a set for a scary movie for teen-agers.

The back and the uphill side.

The back and the downhill side. This photo was taken yesterday evening when the sun was low in the west.